Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care has won the Golden Shell at San Sebastián. The film also received awards for its screenplay and lead performance, while José Luis Rebordinos received a final ovation.
Mike Leigh sent his acceptance message from New York. He could not attend the closing ceremony in person. His film, Tender Loving Care, went on to win the Golden Shell at the 74th San Sebastián Festival.
The film also received the screenplay award, the Transforma Make and Mark Prize, and the award for best leading performance. Kate O'Flynn shared the acting prize with Asta Kamma August for Growth of the Soil.
That was the night's main story.
Leigh has described Tender Loving Care as probably his final film because of his medical condition. The official San Sebastián release confirmed the film's sweep of the festival's main awards. It also marked José Luis Rebordinos's last edition as festival director. The audience gave him a standing ovation.
Leigh thanked the festival in a video message. He said he loved the audience and thanked San Sebastián for the four awards. O'Flynn also missed the gala.
В отраслевых публикациях Tender Loving Care описывали как один из наиболее человечных и социально ориентированных фильмов Майка Ли — историю о заботе и уязвимости.
The British production won the screenplay award and the Transforma Make and Mark Prize alongside the Golden Shell and O'Flynn's acting award. The official jury recognised the film in the festival's central categories. O'Flynn's prize added another major award.
The acting prize was shared with August for Growth of the Soil.
August used her acceptance speech to speak about empathy and solidarity. She wore a Free Palestine pin. Films, she said, can place viewers inside another person's mind. She also called for freedom for Palestinians.
The ceremony turned political.
The mood continued when the audience later rallied around Naza.
Официальный релиз San Sebastián и публикации Screen Daily, Variety и The Hollywood Reporter сходятся в том, что статус фильма как вероятной последней работы Ли следует описывать именно как вероятность, а не как окончательно объявленный уход режиссёра из кино.
Javier Cámara won the Silver Shell for best supporting performance for Cinco minutos más by Javier Ruiz Caldera. He joked that the year belonged to the Javis. He shared the recognition with Berto Romero, Ruiz Caldera and Belén Cuesta.
Cámara also thanked Rebordinos for taking the risk of placing a fantasy film in the Official Selection.
Amanda Kernell won the Silver Shell for best director for Brace Your Heart. The Special Jury Prize went to Border by Ah Biao. Growth of the Soil won the cinematography award.
Ira Sachs chaired the official jury. Its other members were Genki Kawamura, Catherine Paillé, Alice Braga, Patricia López Arnaiz, Bill Skarsgard and Mike Goodridge.
Audience choices produced two of the festival's most visible moments.
Naza won the Ciudad de Donostia Audience Award for Best European Film. Its directors, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, were absent. Israel is investigating them over possible leaks of classified information connected with the documentary.
The film examines Israeli intelligence and military systems used in operations in Gaza. It also examines the consequences for civilians. Producer Enrique Costa accepted the prize for the filmmakers and read their message.
Viewers raised sheets with the words "We are Naza too" and Palestinian flags. The presenters displayed the same message.
The other major audience award went to La bola negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. The directors thanked viewers for supporting Spanish cinema. They linked the film's relationship with its audience to Federico García Lorca's ideas about creation.
That connection was also explored in the Granada feature.
Calvo said the pair had built their careers through experiments, successes and mistakes with an audience beside them. Ambrossi thanked Rebordinos and the technical team. He promised not to disappoint viewers.
The award recognised the public's role in sustaining the filmmakers.
The remaining awards went to De repente by Ryusuke Hamaguchi for Premio RTVE-Otra Mirada; Cinco años cuatro meses by Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García for the Spanish Cooperation Award; Burgundy by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw in Culinary Zinema; Txakun Txakür by Elsa Oliarj-Inès for the Irizar Basque Film Award; Adolescencia sexo y muerte en campamento Miasma by Jane Schoenbrun in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera; La ilusión de un verano sin fin by Alessandra Sanguinetti for Horizontes Latinos; and Amine Bouhafa for best original music for 7h40 ce matin-là.
Leigh's film led the official awards. The audience chose films tied to Spanish identity and Gaza. Rebordinos left after an edition that gave space to established cinema and contested subjects.
The strongest prizes went to films with clear craft and a human point of view.
